Google Ads¶

This guide will tell you all you need to know about aligning your Google Ads campaigns to benefit from word-of-mouth using Herdify targeting.

The targets¶

The Herdify targets for Google Ads are provided in a CSV file which can be uploaded directly into Google Ads Editor.

Uploading the targets to Google¶

Open Google Ads Editor and select the account you want to add the locations to.
In the Manage panel on the left-hand side select Keywords & targeting and Locations.
Select Make multiple changes.
In the dialog box, set the destination campaigns in the left hand panel. First select Use selected destinations and then Add as campaign-level locations. In the box below, check the tick-boxes next to the campaigns you want to apply targeting to. Once you have selected the campaigns, input the targets by setting the first column header to ID and copy and pasting the IDs from the targets downloaded from the Herdify portal.
When everything is set up click Process to input the targets. On the next dialog box you will be shown any errors. Select Finish and review changes to upload the targets.
When you have returned to the Locations view click Check locations to add the location details.
Finally, click Keep all to apply the changes.

Implementation¶

The goal of a rollout is to provide additional benefits in Google campaigns, not the replace the knowledge and expertise that have already been implemented.

Testing¶

Many users want to set up a test to measure the benefit of targeting word-of-mouth. Testing can help identify how this targeting can best work within your mix of Google Ads campaigns and can help you report the value of targeting word-of-mouth.

We recommend that testing follow some simple guidelines:

Select a small number of your current campaigns to test first, no more than 3. We recommend selecting your largest campaigns by budget and/or responses (sales, web visits, whichever outcome is your key focus). Focusing on these larger campaigns will enable you to get meaningful results more quickly.
Introduce word-of-mouth targeting. For each of the selected campaigns you should implement a version with word-of-mouth targeting.
Test the campaigns as you would any new campaign - Consider each of the word-of-mouth campaign as a new campaign and test these how you would test any other change to your ad set up. The three most popular ways of doing this are:
1. Running a test campaign in parallel to the existing campaign. Re-directing a fraction of the budget for the equivalent main campaign towards the word-of-mouth targeted campaign (we recommend 15%) and comparing performance.
  
  Warning
  
  When running the original and word-of-mouth targeted campaigns at the same time there is the potential for the new campaigns to compete against the existing ones. This can result in high CPCs or one campaign delivering a very small volume. If this is observed, then you may want to exclude the locations in word-of-mouth clusters from your other campaigns.
2. Applying a bid uplift to word-of-mouth locations in the existing campaign and comparing the campaign's performance against established targets. We recommend starting with a bid uplift of 50%.
  
  This is possible when the campaign supports manual bid adjustments - i.e. the campaign type is Search, Display, Shopping, Display video, YouTube or Hotel and is not using a smart bidding strategy.
3. Using Google's built-in testing tools. For testing the benefits of word-of-mouth campaigns Conversion Lift based on geography should be used.
  
  Adverts in word-of-mouth clusters are more effective because of the offline conversations happening between people in the location.
  
  Most Google experiment methods split the audience within a word-of-mouth cluster between test and control groups, but people in both groups are still involved in conversations. This includes Conversion Lift based on users, Brand Lift and Search Lift.
  
  Conversion Lift based on geography will split word-of-mouth clusters between test and control groups, so everyone within a cluster is in the same group.
Observe the campaign performance However you have set up the test campaigns we recommend letting any test last for at least a month, to ensure significant results. After a month capture the results and compare the campaign performance to determine the results of the test. What success looks like will depend on your objectives for the campaign.
Warning

Measurement using in platform metrics, and other forms of digitally tracked attribution can misrepresent the value of campaigns, especially those targeting word-of-mouth clusters. Relying solely on in platform metrics can lead to a false view of what is working well.

Campaigns that target word-of-mouth clusters benefit in two principal ways:
1. People receiving the ads are more likely to have heard of the brand, been influenced positively towards it, and therefore more likely to respond to the ad by clicking and purchasing.
2. People receiving the ad and then speaking to their friends, families and colleagues about it. Generating multiple real-world impressions with other people who may go on to purchase.
We recommend using a third-party platform, such as Triple Whale, to get a better understanding of the value of your campaigns. If you do not have this available then Herdify can provide an analysis of your transactions data over the course of the campaigns which may help to measure their impact.
Next steps If the word-of-mouth targeted campaigns have performed better than the baseline campaigns or exceeded their targets then you will want to extend the rollout to increase the targeting of word-of-mouth locations. If the campaigns have not performed better then we would recommend speaking to your Customer Success Manager who can help you identify additional campaigns on which to test.

Rollout¶

Following a successful test you will want to maximise the benefits of targeting word-of-mouth clusters by expanding their use in two ways:

Increasing the budget spent in these areas

We recommend starting with 15% of the original campaigns budget targeting word-of-mouth areas.

We suggest increasing this budget in increments of 10%.

As the spend increases in the word-of-mouth areas it is possible that performance will start to decrease, because of the greater amount of budget being spent on a smaller audience. Each time you increase the budget wait at least 2 weeks to see the impact on performance.

Increasing by a small amount each time, enables you to find a point that balances your needs for efficiency and volume from the campaigns.
Implement word-of-mouth testing in more campaigns

We recommend following the same testing procedure as above when implementing word-of-mouth targeting in any additional campaigns.

Following a successful test, look to optimise the budget spent in those areas.